Boy Scouts make split decision on gays | Editorial

April 24, 2013|By Chan Lowe

Some observers might interpret the Boy Scouts of America’s decision to admit openly gay scouts while barring gay scout leaders as a softening of their anachronistic homophobic policy, but in reality it is nothing of the sort.

For it perpetuates a quiet prejudice that needs to be stamped out, not nurtured — that being the unfounded notion that gay men are pedophiles.

How else do you explain this illogical, split decision? If a gay Boy Scout in the ranks is acceptable, then why not a gay scout leader? If gayness is something “contagious,” then neither should be admitted. The fact is that there is no evidence showing that pedophilia is any more prevalent among gay men than it is among straights. They are not related issues.

This decision is a concession to bigotry, pure and simple, and it’s a stain on the Scouts’ stated mission of teaching boys to be morally straight citizens. There should be no merit badges awarded over this one.